The consumer price index was up 0.2% in July and 2.9% on a year-over-year basis, according to the Labor Department, potentially bolstering the case for an interest-rate cut in September. Meanwhile, a core measure that excludes food and energy rose 0.2% for the month and 3.2% from the prior year.

Modern Distribution Management's forecast for August shows a downward revision in US wholesale trade revenues to a 2.1% increase, the weakest outlook this year, down from 2.8% in July. Despite this, the 2025 revenue growth forecast has been adjusted upward to 4.8% and anticipates wholesale distributors will still outpace the general US economic growth projected by Moody's Analytics.

Generative AI can offer efficiencies for supply chain operations, writes Harish Lala from Zensar, but the technology should be implemented with benchmarks and other feedback loops. "As the supply chain landscape continues to evolve, the integration of Gen AI is no longer an option but a necessity for organizations seeking to remain competitive and future-proof their operations," Lala writes.

The median three-year inflation projection among consumers declined to 2.3% last month from 2.9% in June, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York report. However, one- and five-year projections held steady.

The Trucking Conditions Index from FTR dropped from 2.24 in May to 0.95 in June, reflecting a "general improvement" in conditions despite the decrease, but the index is likely subject to more volatility before settling into a positive pattern as the year progresses. "Strengthening capacity utilization sets the stage for firmer freight rates starting late this year and accelerating somewhat in 2025," said Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at FTR.

The top metrics used by warehouses to boost efficiency include average warehouse capacity used and peak warehouse capacity used, according to an infographic from DC Velocity. Meanwhile, two metrics focused on employees appeared in the top 12 ranking for the first time: annual workforce turnover and percentage of cross-trained employees.

Succession planning is critical for supply chain executives as the workforce ages, with 45% of workers in the transportation and warehousing sector age 45 or older, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts recommend identifying potential candidates early on in the process and building a pipeline of potential candidates with individualized training.

Salespeople should develop different narratives such as the customer-success narrative or the innovation narrative, advises Anthony Iannarino, a speaker and sales expert, rather than only focusing on pitching the product. "If you are a sales leader, provide your sales teams with well-designed narratives, train them on the content, and practice until your team can handle any challenge by applying the right narrative to overcome any resistance," Iannarino writes.

Business-to-business campaigns highlighting a customer promise are three times more likely to deliver increased market share and meaningful increases in purchase intent, perceived quality, preference and consideration, according to a white paper by LinkedIn's The B2B Institute, WARC and Roger Martin, a strategy expert. "Our research conclusively finds that across every category, a customer promise is far more effective than any other kind of brand promise," says Jann Martin Schwarz, founder of The B2B Institute.

The middle of the year can be a time of burnout for employees, but business leaders can help alleviate those feelings by urging workers to disconnect and take personal time, writes Aytekin Tank, founder and CEO of Jotform. In addition, help employees ease back into work after vacation by automating tasks and fostering a sense of community.

Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco reveals that middle- and low-income US families have far fewer liquid assets than they were projected to have before the pandemic, posing a risk to consumer spending. While liquid assets for the top 20% of households have only slightly decreased, those for the rest of households are about 13% lower than expected. This financial strain, coupled with rising credit card delinquencies, threatens future consumer spending growth, which is crucial for the US economy.

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